Hi all, I'm makeing a single shot pistol and I'm haveing a hard time getting any springs to turn out right. What is the proper procedure for makeing springs? I picked up some black tie wire and some Guitar springs. I couldn't find any piano springs in town without ordering them. I wound the tie wire to shape, then heated to cherry red, then quenchedin a bucket of ice water. They didn't hold their shape too well. I tried the guitar strings. They seem to be pretty hard already. I couldn't get them to behave while bending. I thought about heating to aneal, but they turned out real hard and broke with any bending. Would quenching the tie wire in salt water help? I wonder if I baked the tie wire in charcoal if it would take on enough carbon to make a difference?
Thoughts?

brownells lists two assortments of spring wire-

Small Spring Wire, .020-.062:
100 12" lengths
025-150-000

Round Oil Tempered Spring Stock, .062-.120:
72 18" lengths
025-152-000

about 15 bucks each

ask to speak to a technician if you decide to order either of these, he'll tell you exactly how to deal with it.

Brownells
1-800-741-0015

http://www.brownells.com

-tincan

You won't be able to make a spring from tie wire. It is about 1008 steel. If you try to induce carbon into it you can not control the amount. Odds are you will over do it and then it will break any way because you not have to much carbon in it and the wrong grain structure for a spring.

It sounds like you are trying to make a mouse trap type spring. They can be made from music wire spring stock, winding then is something else as they will spring back to an larger size. It takes some playing to get the right spring back to match the diameter.

The other way would be to use 0-1 drill rod, you will be able to wrap it, then heat treat and quench in oil and draw back to temper, then try it.

Round wire type springs can be a bear most of the time to reproduce or make.

Flat type springs can be made from many types of steel, depending on what they do.

Jim Wisner
Pres.
Wisner's Inc

Here's a pic of my work so far.

I plan on useing a very low pressure load of a 38 special necked down to 30 cal and loaded with the Lee 113gn cast bullet at about 1100fps. I'll try to get the chambering reamer made tomorrow. I'd like to make my own springs for this also, but I may break down and use something store bought. I could always replace them with home grown ones after I get better at makeing them.

Guitar strings are already at a spring temper. You'd have to anneal them to wind them, then re-heat treat.